Feed mechanism for weighing machines



Dec. 29, 1931. a. w. GWINN FEED IECHANISH FOR WEIGH-ING MACHINES I 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 5, 1928 Dec. 29, 1931. G. w. GWINN FEEDMECHANISM FOR WEIGHING MACHINES Filed May 5, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec.29, 1931. s. w. GWINN FEED MECHANISM FOR WEIGHING MACHINES.

Filed May 5, 1-928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 mvEgon ATTORNEY .w.W. u\ w 1 A, r; 6

1 -J aw m Dec. 29, 1931. s. w. GWINN FEED MECHANISM FORWEIGHING-MACHINES Filed May 5, 1928 4Sheets-Sheet ATTORNEY INVEN RPatented Dec. 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE GWINN, OI HEWLETT,NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO AMERICAN MACHINE & FOUNDRY COMPANY, A CORPORATION01' NEW JERSEY ram) nncnmxsn m wmenme nacimms Applicationfled my 5,1928. Serial no. amass.

. This invention relates to feed mechanisms for weighing machines, forfeeding owdered or granulated material to a see. c bucket to providesuch a devlce in which the supply of material to the feeding meanswill'be 1mmediately cut off when the scale has received a given weightof material. Still another ob ect is to provide a friction drive meansfor the'feed which permits immediate stopfully ping of the feedindevice, without lost motion or backlash. ith these and other ob- 'ectsnot specifically mentioned. in view, the invention consists of certainconstructions and combinations which will be hereinafter described andthen specifically set forth in t e claims hereunto a pended.

Inthe accompanying rawin Fi 1 is a front elevation of t e automatic weihing machine; 1

1 2 is a side elevation of a section along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1,showing the parts in feeding position;

Fig. 2a is a similar side elevation, showing 1 the parts when the feedis shut off Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view of the feed tube and itsdrive; and

Fi 4 is a detail view in ing t e drive controls.

11 carrying the inventioninto effect, there is provided an inclined feedtube, a scale for weighin material fed by said tube, means forfrictlonally rotating said tube to load the material into said scale andmeans for stopping said tube when said scale is loaded. 11

perspective, show-.

the best constructions contemplated, the ro-.

tating means includes a sleeve journalled on and otherwise in frictionalengagement with said'tube, together with means for continuously rotatingsaid sleeve, The best construc- "tions also include a ratchet memberfast" on said tube, a pawl coacting with said ratchetmember, and meanscontrolling the operation of the pawl. In the best constructions also,there is provided a gate at the entrance of the tube and connectionswith said sto ping means for operating said ate. T e means abovereferred to may e widely varied in construction within the scope of theclaims, for the particular machine selected to illustrate the inventionis but one of many possible embodiments of the same. The inventiontherefore is not to be restricted to the recise details of the structureshown and escribed.

Referring to the drawings, an inclined feed tube 5, supported inbearings 6 and 7 in a bearing bracket 8 and in communication at itsupper end with a magazine 66, is driven from a main shaft 9 bly means ofa sprocket 10, a chain 11', a sproc et 12, a shaft 13, and spiral gears14 and 15, the latter gear forming an integral art of a sleeve 15. Thesleeve'15 is provi ed with two flanges 16 and 17 (Fig. 3) andfrictionally rotates the tube 5, one end of a thrust spring 18 pressingthe friction ring 19, slidable on the sleeve and bearing againsta-collar 21 fastened to tube 5 by set screws 22. The other end of thesprin bears against flange 16, forcing flange 1 against friction ring 23which, in turn, presses against a radial surface of a ratchet 21fastened to the feed tube 5 by set screws 25. The ear 15' is drivencontinuously, the frictional connection between it and the sleeveinsuring rotation of the feed tube 5 as long as it is free to rotate,but permitting immediate stopping of the tube without stopping themovement of the sleeve.

As the tube revolves, it feeds a substantially uniform stream ofmaterial into a scale bucket 26 which. swings in a yoke shaped scalebeam 27 fulcrumed on knife'edges 27 When a predetermined weight ofmaterial has been fedinto a bucket 26, the latter overbalances theweight 28, and the bucket 26 descends, carry i with it a link 29fastened tothe scale beam by, an angle plate 30. The upper end of a link29 is fastened by a pin 31 to a lever 32 (Fig; 2) fulcrumed on a pin 33.Thus, by descent of the link 29, a friction shoe 34 at a one end of thelever 32 contacts with a friction wheel 35 on a shaft'36, which iscontinuously driven by a chain 37 running over sprockets 38 and 39. Bythe engagement of the shoe 34 with the wheel 35, a trip latch 40,fu-lcrumed on a pin 41 in a bracket 42, is forced back against thetension of a spring 43 and passes from under a roller 44 at the end of alever 45 on a stud 46, thus allowing the lever 45 to drop and, through alink 47 and a lever 48, permltting spring 49 to pull down a gate 50 atthe entrance of the feed tube by means of a link 51, an angle plate 52,and a bar 53 sliding in a guide 54, thereby closing the end of feed tube5.

In order to simultaneously stop the feeding movement of the tube 5, themovement of the lever 48 caused by the spring 49, raises a pin 5.5 in aslot of a link 56 permitting a leaf spring 57 to produce engagementbetween a pawl 58 (Fig. 4) and the ratchet 24 fixed to the feed tube 5,thereby immediately stopping rotation of the feed tube 5. The sleeve 15continues to revolve around tube 5, ready on release of the ratchet toagain rotate the tube. Fig. 2a shows the changes in the positions of thevarious parts above described, when,

sufiicient material has been fed into bucket 26 to tip the scale. 1

After the scale bucket has been made to dis charge its load into thedischarge tube 59, by suitable means not shown, the weight 28 causes thebucket 26 to rise, thus pushing the link 29 up and bringing the frictionshoe 34 at the end of the lever 32 into its downward position.Thereupon, a continuously driven cam 60, by means of a roller 61,depresses a lever 62 fulcrumed on a shaft 63, thereby causing a link 64to descend, a slot in the upper end of this link engaging with a pin 65attached to the lever 48. One end of the lever 48, thus being forceddown b the link 64, the other end lifts link 51, and t e gate is raised,restarting the flow of material into reversible flexible bottom 68. Alsothe the tube 5 from'the ma azine 66 attached by rods 67 to bearing bracet 8 and having the awl link 56 is depressed by the pin on lbver 48, thepawl 58 thereby being disengaged from the ratchet 24, with the resultthat the feed tube 5 immediately starts to revolve with the sleeve 15.-In the lowermost positionof link 64, the outer end of lever 45 is raisedsufiiciently to clear the trip latch 40, which is pulled under roller,44 by spring 43, thus locking the parts into feeding position untilscale bucket 26 has received another full charge.

It will be noted that as a result of the frictional connection betweenthe feed tube and the driving means for the tube, the tube can bestopped by means acting directly on the tube without undue jarring ofthe driving means and without appreciable feeding movement after saidstoppage, such as would result from lost motion or backlash in thedriving means, if the means stopping the tube acted less directly.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with an inclined feed tube, of a scale for weighingmaterial fed by said tube, means for frictionally rotating said tube toload said scale, and scale-actuated means for stopping said tube whensaid scale is loaded.

2. The combination with an inclined feed tube, of a scale for Weighingmaterial fed by said tube, means for frictionally rotating said tube toload said scale, and scale-actuated means for stopping said tube whensaid scale is loaded, said rotating means including a sleeve journalledon and otherwise in frictional engagement with said tube, and means forcontinuously rotating said sleeve.

3. The combination with an inclined feed tube, of a scale for weighingmaterial fed by said tube, means for frictionally rotating said tube toload said scale, and scale-actuated means for stopping said tube whensaid scale is loaded, said rotatin sleeve journalled on said tube, amember of said stopping means fast on said tube, means for keeping saidsleeve in frictional engage ment with said member, and means forcontinuously rotating said sleeve.

4. The combination with an inclined feed tube, of scale for weighingmaterial fed by said tube, means for frictionally rotatin said tube toload said scale, and scale-actuate means for stopping said tube whensaid scale is loaded, said rotating means including a sleeve journalledon said tube and having a flange a member fast on said tube at one end0' said sleeve, a collar fast on said tube at the other end of saidsleeve, a thrust spring engaging said collar and said flange to keepsaid sleeve in frictional engagement with said member, and means forcontinuously rotating said sleeve.

5. The combination with an inclined feed tube, of a scale for weighingmaterial fed by said tube, means for frictionally rotating ping saidtube when said scale is loaded, said. stopping means including a stopfor said tube,

and operating connectionsfor said stop controlled by said scale.

7. The combination with an inclined feed tube, of a scale for Weighingmaterial fed by said tube, means for frictionally rotating said tubetoload said scale, and means for sto ping said tube when said scale isloaded, said means including a stopping means including a stop for saidtube, and linkage connecting said stop with said scale.

8. The combination with an inclined feed tube, of a scale for'weighingmaterial fed by said tube, means for frictionally rotating said tube toload said scale, and means for stopping said tube when said scale isloaded, said stopping means including a stop for said tube, springactuated means for operating said stop, and a trip-latch controlled bysaid scale for releasing said spring actuated means for operation.

9. The combination with an inclined feed tube, of a scale for weighingmaterial fed by said tube, means for frictionally rotating said tube toload said scale, scale-actuated means for stopping said tube when saidscale is loaded, a gate at the entrance of said tube, and connectionswith said stopping means for operating said gate.

' 10. The combination with an inclined feed tube, of a scale forweighing material fed by said tube, means for frictionally rotating saidtube to load said scale, means for stopping said tube when said scale isloaded, a gate at the entrance of said tube, and. connections with saidstopping means for operating said gate, said stopping means and saidgate being controlled by said scale.

11. The combination with an inclined feed tube, of a scale for wei hingmaterial fed by said tube, means for ictionally rotating said tube toload said scale, means for stopping said tube when saidscale is loaded,a

gate at the entrance of said tube, spring actu-' ated means foroperating said gate, and a trip-latch controlled by said scale" forreleasing said spring actuated means for operation.

12. In a weighing machine, the combination with an inclined feed tube,of'a sleeve journalled on and otherwise in frictional en- I gagementwith said tube, means for continuously rotating said sleeve, and meansfor stoppingsaid tube.

13. In a weighing machine, the combination with an inclined feed tube,of a sleeve journalled on said tube and having a flange,

a collar fast on said tube at one end of said sleeve, a. member fast onsaid tube at the other end of said sleeve, a thrust sprin engaging saidcollar and said member to eep said sleeve in frictional engagement withsaid member, and means for continuously rotating said sleeve. 4

' 14. ha weighing machine, the combination with a, rotatory inclinedfeed tube, of a scale for weighing material fed-by said tube, a stop forsaid tube, and operating connect ions for said stop controlled by saidscale.

16. In a weighing machine, the combination with a rotatory inclined feedtube, of a scale for weighing material fed by said tube,

a stop for stud tube, spring actuated means for operating said stop, anda trip-latch controlled by said'scale for releasing said spring andclosing said gate.

18. In a weighingmachine, the combination with a rotatory inclined feedtube, of a gate at the entrance of said tube, a scale stop for saidtube, closing means for said gate, and linkage connecting said scalewith said stop and said closing means. I

19. In a weighing machine, the combina tion with a rotatory inclinedfeed tube, of a for weighing material fed by said tube, a

gate at the'entrance of said tube, a scale at the delivery end of saidtube, spring actuated means for stopping said tube and closing saidgate, and means controlled by said scale for GEORGE W. G'WINN.

15. In a weighing machine, the combination with a'rotatory inclined feedtube, of a scale for weighing material fed by said tube,

v 5 a stop for said tube, and linkage connecting said stop with saidscale.

releasing said spring actuated means for op-

